Colours of Us
by thegirlwhocan
Summary: Marauders era/Jily story (one shot at the mo, possible future extension) - Halloween is upon Hogwarts in James and Lily's sixth year, and the two find themselves as unlikely partners in planning a party to remember, but will James get his dance?


**A/N::** HAPPY HALLOWEEN! wahey here have some Jily on their death anniversary - happy times help with the pain! (I promise.) My 2nd marauders fic, enjoy pumpkins :)

* * *

'Orange'

Ask James Potter what his favourite time of year was, and the answer you'd get back is 'Halloween'. He'd probably say it with that irritatingly infectious grin of his, resembling a four year old in excitement as he bounced around on his heels, mind wandering to all the amazing possibilities the season held. The pranks, the costumes, the weather –yep, Halloween was the best time of year. James' thoughts were along this line as October dawned on Hogwarts in his sixth year, heralding a morning chill and the bronzing of the forest and grounds. With it came the first quidditch match of the season.

On that morning of October first, he was the first person outside the castle, having been up from the crack of dawn, revising the plays he'd been teaching the team for the past few weeks. Gulping down breakfast alone in the great hall, his feet crunched against the freshly fallen leaves before anyone else had even emerged from their dorms. Well, he was Captain – being obsessive came with the territory. Despite the early hour, he wore the widest grin. Rather than make him tired, the early rise only gave him time to adjust; the cold air bit his cheeks, turning them pink as he strolled down the sloping path to the pitch. He carried his broom hitched over one shoulder, uniform already on but not in any orderly way – his robes were undone, shirt tucked out at the back and his goggles hung limply around his neck. But there was plenty of time to straighten up later.

It was perfect weather for quidditch – not fiercely hot like it was in the summer, nor bitterly cold like winter; and there was not a drop of rain in sight. It was sunny, but not blinding so, and the clouds provided some shelter for the players in flight. October was definitely the best. As the leaves crunched under his boots, he smiled again, loving the crinkle and rustle it made. The sound meant Halloween was coming, and Christmas was just around the corner – fallen leaves were the lament for those waiting. The only disadvantage James was ever able to find was that it was harder to sneak out under the cloak when the leaves gave them away. Still, they'd found ways around that little problem over the years.

He was naturally the first to arrive on the pitch, even before Madam Hooch, and stood alone in the middle of the pitch for some time, staring up at the sky and stands around it. Talk about psyching yourself out. By the time voices could be heard around him, as spectators started to take their seats decked out in either Gryffindor red or Ravenclaw blue, the sun had completely risen, and James has played out a hundred different scenarios on how the game might go in his head. A hand clapped his back roughly, and James turned around to see his best mate standing there, looking scruffier than he did but grinning twice as wide.

"Sirius" James greeted with a nod, then looked over Black's shoulder for the other marauders, "Moony, Peter." His voice caught as his gaze fell on the final figure, softening slightly, "Evans."

"Morning" they all chorused back, before Lily started to walk away from the group.

"I'd better get to my friends before the seats run out" she explained, waving at Remus and Sirius, who waved back cheerfully. She glanced at James a little awkwardly, but no less warmly, "Good Luck." Her red head merged into the crowd gathering, bobbing away as she grew smaller, until he could no longer see her at all. He released his breath, as they all made their way towards the changing rooms, waiting for the match to start.

The rest of the team were already in there, rowdily getting ready and egging each other on in anticipation for what promised to be a good game. James nodded serenely as he looked around the room, glad with his final choices for the team that year – no one could deny their strength and cohesion, he just hoped all their training would pay off. Dumping his broom on the bench, he and Sirius started straightening themselves out, doing up open buttons and preparing for the game.

"So, when did you get so chummy with Evans? He asked, trying to sound nonchalant and directing his words to Remus, with whom Lily seemed the chattiest. The marauder rolled his eyes.

"We were prefects together for two years, James." Remus Lupin said as if talking to a child, leaning against the wall with ease and crossing his arms. "We're friends, since you know, I manage to do certain things around her that you don't, like-"

"-act like a normal human being" Sirius supplied, and the two burst out laughing while James scowled.

"The changing rooms are only for team members, Moony" he said sourly.

"Meaning?" Remus challenged.

"Fuck off, mate"

"Classy"

"That's me" James grinned smugly, and Remus conceded with open hands, backing away with Peter. The two left, Sirius and Remus exchanging sarcastically obvious glances until they were out of sight, with shouts of "good luck!" coming from the departing two.

Alone, the last two friends exchanged significant looks of apprehension. For all their joking, James and Sirius really did love quidditch; if there was one thing they were serious about, this was it. They wanted to win. "What do you think?" Sirius asked quietly, so the rest of the team wouldn't here.

"I think we're going to win" James answered confidently, nodding towards the pitch curtain, "we've just got to show them all what we're made of."

"Bloody idiot" Sirius cackled, "'show them what we're made of' – what did you do, step out of a cheesy movie?"

"Shut it" James laughed, grabbing his broom and hollering to the team, "Move out!" Stomach fluttering with anticipation; ears humming with the drone of the crowd, the Gryffindor team stepped into the sun to a roar of cheers for the first match of the season.

* * *

They won. The longer version of that story included a few foul bludgers from Ravenclaw, followed by some choice words from James, several close calls and a lucky snitch grab from their seeker from right under the Ravenclaw keepers nose. The short story was: they won. Which, it was safe to say, James was pretty pleased about. So pleased in fact that he temporarily forgot everything aside from celebrating, the after-party in Gryffindor being one of the loudest he'd known, and the longest – not ending until well after 4am.

Which all led up to the reason he was currently swearing under his breath, charging down the stone corridors like a man possessed at 9:40 on a Sunday morning, while everyone else was sleeping. He'd forgotten his transfiguration essay for 10% of his NEWT was in for the next day – and he'd done approximately nothing. For any other subject he'd just laugh it off and say that quidditch players don't need good grades, but Mcgonagall was a dragon when she was angry (believe him, he'd seen it) and Transfiguration was annoyingly one of his best subjects; he wanted to do well.

He just wished he didn't have such a bloody hangover.

"Damn _it_" as he skidded around the corner, James collided with a suit of armour, the both of them tumbling down into a pile on the floor. Bruised and with a new lump forming on his head where the knight had crush it, the boy started picking them both up, swearing bloody murder on Peeves the poltergeist, whom he was sure was behind moving around the armour. Giving up on fixing the armour himself, James waved his wand, "reparo!" As if it were as easy as anything, the suit flawlessly floated about, reassembling itself before setting down on the floor again and becoming inanimate. Work done, James was off again like a shot, quizzing away until he reached the doors to the library, panting and red.

Mussing up his hair a little (as if it wasn't perfectly messy anyway), he composed himself with a deep breath and stepped through the doors, determined to get this essay done. Of course, as fate works seemingly against him, James just so happened to stumble across one Miss Lily Evans in the library, pouring over a stack of papers and muttering crossly.

"You doing McGonagall's essay too, Evans?" James had to ask, finding himself strolling casually over to her table and leaning on it. Lily Evans, leaving an essay 'til last minute? This was _glorious._

"No of course not, I handed that in three weeks ago" came the cross reply, Lily not even looking up at him, continuing to scribble at the offending paper in front of her crossly. _Oh_, thought James, _maybe not then_.

He hated himself for it, but he couldn't help asking. "What're you doing, then?"

"Stuff"

"What stuff?"

"Important stuff"

"Can I see?"

"No"

"_Please_?"

"Noooooo"

James pouted, but then snatched the paper on top of the pile away before Lily could react. Spinning round, he strutted with the paper held over his head while Lily sprinted from her seat, trying to grab it back and pulling on his arm, but he always managed to keep it just out of her reach.

"'Hogwarts Halloween ball'. . ." James read aloud, "'October 31st'. what? What is this?"

"James!" she snapped, "Give me it back"

He sighed, and handed the paper over. Lily took it and marched back to her seat, him following at her heels like a puppy. "_Lilllyyyyyy_" he whined, "What is it?"

"Something Dumbledore asked me to organise; he wanted to put on an event for Halloween."

"Just you?"

"Well, no" she replied, looking a little guilty now, "he wanted the Head Boy and Girl to organised it – something about 'promoting the unity of Hogwarts'. He's invited some auror ex-students who are getting honours from the ministry."

Now, James looked genuinely offended, "so I was supposed to help too?"

"Didn't think it'd be your sort of thing"

"You never asked"

"_You_ never pay attention in prefect meetings anyway, if you show up!" Lily snapped, but then sighed, head falling into her hands.

"I'm sorry;" she tried again, speaking tiredly, "That wasn't necessary. I should have asked you, but I figured that with the quidditch match coming up, I'd be doing you a favour by not bothering you with it."

"Well it's obviously bothering you," James put in, sitting down opposite her and knowing in his heart that his transfiguration essay wasn't getting done anytime soon, "and the match is done with now, so how can I help?"

Lily bit her lip, looking torn, "really?"

"Really" James smiled brightly, which was returned, and the two set to work in the morning light, the library silent apart from their shuffling and cheerful talk.

They had a party to plan.

* * *

Six hours later afternoon was drawing in on Hogwarts: the school still chilled but at least the sun had made a brief appearance at around 12am. People came and went in the library, a blur of background colours and noises to James and Lily, who were too focused on their work to notice. Well, mostly their work, James was focused on a few other things too. They were a good team; in a lot quicker time than Lily Evans had anticipated, it was all done.

Noting down the last few bits of information on the decorations they'd decided on, she took a deep breath and grinned up at her planning partner, relieved that it was done. She'd had more than a few sleepless nights stressing over getting everything sorted, worrying that alone she wouldn't manage to pull something as big as that off. Then, of all people, _James bloody Potter_ had shown up to be her saving grace, and it was done. It had even been _fun_ to plan, in the end. She smiled just thinking about how great the end effect would be.

It would be a lot better if she liked Halloween. No, in her experience, the entire holiday was a complete waste of time and they'd all be better off just skipping over it. Christmas was so much better. Halloween was just a stupid excuse for a thousand and one useless and frankly mean pranks or practical jokes; and when spent at the Evan's household, an excuse for Petunia to flinch at every trick-or-treater dressed up as a witch, coldly addressing Lily as 'fitting in with the rest' for the one day of the year 'freaks' were allowed. It was never fun.

But still, she was staying at Hogwarts to organise this ball, so there would be no bitter comments this year. Maybe for the first time since her childhood, Halloween could be about acting young again. Just maybe.

Lily wasn't quite ready to get her hopes up yet.

"I love this weather," unexpectedly, James had started walking back up to the common room with her once they were done. Peeves had overturned something nasty in the main passageway to get there, spewing green foul-smelling liquid everywhere, so they had taken the long route back – around the edge of the castle. James has spoken for the first time in a while, the silence between them before comfortable, and she wasn't even totally sure he was talking to her now; his eyes were dreamily glazed over, starting out towards the lake.

"Really?"

"Yeah" he grinned, breaking his gaze to look at her, "you don't?"

"It's not my favourite," she shrugged, tightening the purple scarf she wore and scrunching up her nose.

"Wow, you really don't like it" he remarked.

"I never said that!"

"Didn't have to" James smirked, "your face said it all. I can read you."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yep" James said irritably, and Lily scowled. He laughed. "So what have you got against autumn?" he asked more quietly.

"Everything's dying," she answered, "why do you like it so much?"

"Everything's beautiful"

Now it was Lily's turn to smirk, raising an eyebrow sarcastically. "That was deep"

"As a pond" James confirmed with a smile, causing her to laugh again. "Seriously though, why the hate for old Hallows eve?"

"It was just-" Lily paused, "It was never happy back home. And it's just a reminder that all the green and life of summer is fading, and Christmas isn't here yet."

"Really? Don't you think the colours are amazing," he plucked a leaf from the ground, stooping swiftly to scoop it up, wide and red against his hand. He twirled it in front of her face between his thumb and index finger. "Plus you can't beat a walk in the leaves" As if to prove this point, he stomped of the path, heavily treading on the fallen leaves on the lawn. The sounds as his feet hit the leaves were unmistakable, crunching and rustling, crackling like a fire. He stopped, turning back to her with the biggest grin she'd ever seen plastered all over his face.

"I never liked red – clashes with my hair." Giggling, she continues down the path, caught up by a slightly breathless James a few seconds later. They settled back into a steady pace around the castle, ancient stone walls one side, red leaves and lake the other. It was idyllic in every sense of the world, like a fairytale setting. "But maybe I could give Halloween a chance."

Yes, Lily Evans was starting to hope again.

"Definitely" James agreed.

"Thanks for your help today"

"No problem," he assured her, as they came to a stop at the entrance to the castle, staircases leading in so many directions ahead.

"We just need to make sure everyone comes now," Lily said doubtfully, wanting this to be something to cheer the entire school up a little. Some nasty sorts, "death eaters" as they were known, had been causing trouble in the country recently. Some attacks and a few deaths, growing more from 'distant rumour' and hitting too close to home for comfort now, had been pulling down the collective spirits of the school all year. She suspected the ball was more to do with pulling them all together than anything; she knew Dumbledore had faith in the school's ability to survive hard times. "We could all do with some laughs"

"Well, I do have a reputation in that area" James said wryly, "and you have a hell of a lot of posters to put up. Allow me to help?" He eyed the stack of posters in her hands, of which half were promptly shared into his hands.

Lily grinned up at him, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The rest of the month went too fast; before he knew it, the Halloween ball had arrived – and Hogwarts was buzzing with excitement. Chatter broke out almost frequently, disrupting all aspects of life at the school, not to mention the sudden surge in the rumour mill surrounding the ball – who was going with who, what people were wearing, what would be going on at the ball itself. Of course, James knew the answer to the last one, but would only grin enigmatically and mime sealing his lips when people asked. He liked that power.

More and more owls were arriving every day, carrying lumpy packages of dress robes; oddly shaped parcels containing all matter of items to prepare for the party; some even coming with things he would have sworn were shoes big enough to fit a giantess. _Madness_, he thought, as he dodged a parcel falling to the hufflepuff table and landing with a thud, _absolute madness_.

It seemed he alone was unaffected by the party bug. In all honestly, after the initial wave of excitement had passed, he found himself resentful that so many people were now staying in the castle for the holidays. Still, a party was a party, and he was determined to have a good time.

"Is everything ready for tonight?" Sirius asked, appearing at James elbow to he could use the mirror James stood before to straighten his tie. The sixth years boys dormitory was a complete trainwreck: discarded clothes littered every available piece of floor, hair products were open on the shelves, spilling over and making the room smell like a solvent factory, and a thin layer of smoke had settle near the bathroom. I won't even tell you why that was there. The four marauders were spread out across the room, some more reluctantly than others, ("it's a bleeding party, Moony, try smiling a bit!" Sirius had been heard shouting) but they were all on their way to being ready with less than an hour to go.

"'Course," he muttered, trying to shove Black away again, causing a squabble for the space in front of the mirror, which James then lost, "I'm not a friggin' amateur."

Of course they were planning their own 'festivities' for the party – they were marauders. Reputations are only good if you live up to them. And what they had planned for during the party that night would be spectacular . . .

Their original idea had been shot down instantly by Moony the week before, after James and Sirius had drunkenly come up with a ridiculous scheme the night before. The prefect had scowled and laughed at them, sternly telling them "no" like a concerned parent. Then James and Sirius had been distant with him for hours, not happy at the point blank rejection but knowing that he was right, until he'd shown up with a heavy book that night. "Okay, what you suggested was stupid, but we _could_ do this . . ." he'd said, showing them the book was in fact a ancient rule book of the school, "you'll get expelled if you do what you wanted, but if we change it a little I've found a loophole." Ah, Moony, their evil little rule breaker. Little did they know it had taken him hours to find the loophole, and he'd only done so to keep them out of trouble. Really, he liked having friends for once, and he wasn't going to lose them by letting them be thick enough to get booted out of Hogwarts. The plan had been set by the surprisingly devious Moony, and after a few days work putting things into place, it was all ready for tonight. All they had to do now was pull it off.

"Just checking," said Sirius, admiring his reflection in the mirror he'd just won: He work a classic black suit, with a blue tie that made his eyes stand out. Hair long and around his shoulders as usual, he had little to do but get dressed, wash and put some sort of potion on his wrists that smelled nice. Some people had all the luck.

James, on the other hand, had just tried to no avail for an hour to get his hair to co-operate and go straight, and you know, in the right direction. It didn't work. As always, his messy black hair curled and stuck up in every direction imaginable (which Sirius had nicknamed the 'fingers in a plug socket' look), a tangled mess. He nervously ran his fingers through it a final time, curls not too bad tonight, but nowhere near orderly. Still, he pulled it off every other day of the year; he supposed his signature look would have to do.

They all looked twenty years out of date, however. He'd come up with the idea of wearing period clothes ages ago – classic suits or vests in a simple 30s and 40s style. They hadn't all been convinced when James had suggested it, but in the end he had talked them around. Now they stood in an odd assortment of dated clothes, scrounged from relatives or vintage shops; they'd stick out like a sore thumb at the flashy part downstairs, but at least they looked classy. Different was interesting. But they did slightly resemble characters from a cheesy 30's TV detective show.

Sirius definitely had the best end of the stick – his suit was relatively straight forward, if dated, and the only things really noticeable was the strange brown patterned vest he wore over a white shirt, and the fact that his suit jacket was as long as a coat. He looked a horror-movie villain, but held a mysterious grace in such a look none of the other's could have possibly pulled off.

Peter had chosen to go all-out on the house pride (a debatable choice) and was wearing a vivid red square-patterned suit, with white lines cutting across the fabric vertically and diagonally in a squared pattern. Strangely, it worked, but it was anything but subtle, the brightness of the suit washing out his already pale face; it was too big for him, his hands barely poking out of the ends of the sleeves. He wore a white shirt beneath it, with a burgundy bow tie peeking out from under a rumpled collar. They had found it in a dodgy-looking backstreet shop in Hogsmeade on their last minute, and unsurprisingly it had been on sale; the rest of his clothes and shoes had been borrowed from the other boys, all slightly too big, but he didn't mind all that much.

Remus had been the biggest surprise to all of them. Having written to his parents, they found a decent but vintage blue suit in their attic and sent it to him. It might be second hand, but it wasn't half bad: navy blue trousers and a white shirt made up the basic combination, with black shoes and a sharp blue tie tying up the image. But what really made the look was the jacket – blue velvet, dark on the outside but with a lighter blue collar which overturned and shone in any light, one button loosely holding it all together. It looked sleek as hell, basically. He'd even managed to deal with his nest hair, washing and gelling it so it had minimal curls, shorted around the edges but sticking up stylishly at the front. Moony wasn't exactly a party person, but even he couldn't help the smile tugging on the sides of his lips growing, softening his features; he looked happier than he had done in a long time.

Being his idea, James had been the one to take the old-fashioned clothing idea the most seriously, and subsequently appeared to have stepped out of a black and white newspaper. The garments were charcoal grey, verging on black, but a faded colour lightly squared in pattern like Peter's. He wore trousers and unlike the others, a vest, completely buttoned up to the V of his neck. Underneath this vest was a plain white shirt, sleeves folded over and held there with blue cufflinks which matched the blue buttons of the suit. The shirt was tight around his neck, triangular patterned tie in varying shades of blue properly adjusted, silver pin holding it in place. Black brogues, polished to reflection stage and carefully patterned with pinprick circles, clicked happily with every step James took. Brown leather suspenders clipped from his trousers, looping around his shoulders; the whole look was completed by the matching jacket he currently carried slung over his shoulder.

As the others finished up, pulling last minute garments on and spraying all sorts of strongly-smelling products, he carefully put on the jacket. Shrugging it onto his shoulders, James buttoned up just two buttons, leaving most of his vest exposed, before tugging the sleeves until it fit perfectly. Grabbing his wand, he tucked it casually into his back pocket, turning to the sharp-looking marauders.

James Potter grinned, "Let's get this party started."

Every eyebrow in the room was hooked, the others exchanging looks. As one, they chorused, "tosser."

The marauders were on their way.

* * *

The ball was being hosted in the Great Hall, looking every bit the spectacle you would expect from a Hogwarts event. Pumpkins the size of hippogriffs hung from the ceiling every few metres, wearing grotesque grins or shocked expressions, the candlelight inside illuminating the scene. Orange and black confetti fell from the enchanted ceiling, vanishing before it hit the stone floors; the ceiling was speckled with starts and lightning to punctuate the soft glow. All the tables were pushed to the side of the room, laden with the evening's food: all the sugar filled and insanely unhealthy treats you could imagine. An apple bobbing tub stood in the left far corner, and in true Hogwarts form – the apples fought back.

As the boys entered, they couldn't help but smile at the result, James at his hard work, the others just at the madness of it all. It really was a sight.

Their entrance was met with a new wave of whispers about what they were wearing; from "are they lost?" to "they look amazing". A few cries "what the hell are they wearing?" could be heard, which James forcibly ignored, alongside sniggers from a few older Slytherins.

It was almost full in the hall now, band playing a cheery tune on the raised platform where the teacher's table usually stood, couples and friends dancing in front of it, hangers-on drifting towards the sides of the room. Dumbledore's gaze met Jame's as he scanned the floor, the professor standing talking to some older people at the front of the hall, seated on some spare chairs. The older man smiled benignly at his student, raising a thankful glass to James, who nodded back in return. He reckoned Dumbledore wasn't so bad, as teachers go.

"So, what we doing?" Peter asked eagerly, head bobbing around to look around the hall, before his eyes became wide as they reached the buffet table, "er?"

"Food!" Seeing his friends gaze, Sirius grinned and started towards the food table, something James had been told not to let happen before 10am, for fear of running out of food. They swore for someone relatively thin, Sirius could eat for England sometimes.

"Hey!" he broke his friends run, catching Sirius by the arm and swiveling him around, "what's say we check out the dance floor first? See how everyone else has scrubbed up?"

Sirius pondered this for a moment, then tilted his head in agreement, "fine. But I call dibs on all the pretty girls"

"You can't call dibs on _all_ the girls"

"Can too" Sirius smirked, "'cept Evans, right?" Knowing James would be too flustered to argue now, the raven haired marauder sped off towards the crowd of people, drawing several admiring looks – and not just because of his clothes.

Then he saw something that made his blood run colder, green-eyed jealously filling his senses. James sighed, trying to smile at some people he knew, but turned to autopilot, ghosting through the first twenty minutes of meeting up and speaking to people. The night had just taken a turn for the worse.

* * *

Sirius looked at James and frowned. Yes, his friend was smiling and socialising, but it lacked the usual James . . . spark. He was off; something was bothering him.

The reason for James' apathy was revealed ten minutes later. Lily Evans breezed by, positively glowing – on the arm of Arnie Turner, her Hufflepuff herbology partner. Upon seeing the pair, Prongs' scowl deepened and he dragged the others across the room 'to get some punch', although he looked like punching someone else was the top thing on his mind.

"Git," he muttered, darkly sipping the bright orange brew they'd collected.

"Why? For coming with Lily?" Peter asked.

"Yes"

"Then you should've asked her yourself" Sirius protested.

"To get shot down?"

"She _might_ have said 'yes'"

James scoffed, "as if."

"She _was_ really grateful for your help on this," Remus said, gesturing around, "she probably would've gone with you out of thanks"

"Really?" said James, brightening, "you think so?"

"Well, not now. Obviously" Sirius deadpanned.

The scowl reappeared. "Then why'd she go with him?"

Sarcastically, "Because he asked her."

"Well, he's a git"

"And you're an idiot," Sirius said, "later, losers." His dark head disappeared into the crowd, headed towards some blonde Hufflepuff girl smiling shy at him.

"I'm gonna go too – get some air" Remus started.

"But we've only been here ten minutes!"

"I don't like parties." Excuses made, Remus too vanished. That left James with Peter, drifting towards the food again. Still, Sirius aka 'the black hole of all food' was clear now, so _he_ might as well enjoy the tastiest treats they could find.

At least the night had started well.

* * *

As soon as the cold air hit his skin, Remus Lupin felt better. Relieved, he exited through the doors of the Great Hall, leaving the music and laughter behind him. He never did like crowds; they were just a reminder of all the people he could hurt. He was a freaking werewolf – having fun with the people he endangered with his existence here was absurd. Although he knew he shouldn't, he always felt guilty at events like this.

Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, Lupin kept his head down as he made his way through the entrance hall, knowing he looked ridiculous enough in the old-fashioned suit without drawing attention to himself. Bloody James and his schemes. But curse it as he might, Lupin secretly liked the suit and how it felt on, feeling halfway smooth for the first time in a long time, and he'd take little victories like that were he could find them.

Reaching the huge double doors, propped open, he stood on the steps leading up to the castle. A brisk wind whipped about, making even his slightly gelled hair ruffle, but it was not snowing yet, which he was thankful for. On the paths around the castle, from the lake to Hagrid's hut, all the way down to the wrought iron gates, grinning pumpkins lit the way, spaced evenly down the sides of the path, little lights leading people home. In the blackness that had taken hold on the nights, it was beautiful, and Lupin smiled. James, despite his faults, really had done a fantastic job on tonight.

A little way down the path, voices caught his attention, especially after his gaze drifted to find Lily and Arnie standing just around the corner, talking quietly. Lily was laughing at something he had just said, eyes squinted shut, when Arnie moved spontaneously forwards, making as to kiss her. Remus' mouth hung open in suspense, but just as the pair's lips were about to meet, Lily opened her eyes and jumped back with a squeak.

"Arnie!" she exclaimed, looking horrified, "What are you doing?"

"I- I er, I-" the Hufflepuff stammered, going a deep shade of red and drawing back into himself, "we were getting on so well and we'd come together and-"

"We came as mates, I thought you knew that!"

"I just thought, I er, sorry" Arnie stuttered.

Lily shook her head, "It's okay, don't apologise. It's just-"

"You don't like me in that way?" Arnie guessed.

Lily made a face, shrugging slightly, ". . . Sorry?"

"Nah, It's alright" Arnie said, "Although now I've made an arse of myself, I think I'll spend the rest of tonight with my friends."

"Okay," Lily agreed, "no hard feelings?"

"No way, still friends?"

She smiled now, "Definitely. See you in Herbology on Tuesday?"

"Yeah. Night, Lily"

"Night"

Arnie Turner made to leave, and Remus managed to duck awkwardly behind a bush just as the red-faced boy hurried past, muttering to himself about how he'd 'screwed another thing up'. Lupin could on try to hide his muffled laughter. Once the stranger had gone, he emerged slowly from the bush, to find Lily still outside; leaning against the wall, head angled up and eyes filled with starlight. He walked over.

"How come James never get's let down so gently?" Remus asked.

"Listening to people's conversations, are we?" Lily answered sarcastically, looking back down at him as he leaned next to her.

"Sorry, must not have got the message saying this area stopped being a public space"

"Shut it" Lily laughed, "And perhaps if James was nicer, I'd go easy on him."

"That's true."

"Good friend, you are."

"The best" Remus agreed sarcastically, and the two grinned.

"What are you doing out here? I thought you lot would be causing trouble by now" Lily asked.

"No, that's not 'til ten," Lupin deadpanned.

"You're joking, right?" Lily asked nervously.

Remus changed the subject, not really wanting to answer that question. "I'm not really a fan of parties, in all honesty."

"No?"

"Can't dance" he joked. "You look nice, Lily." She was wearing Orange robes, the edges a deeper shade and patterned with swirls, over a dark green dress going down to her knees.

"Thank you." She said, mock curtseying, "you too. Scrub up surprisingly well, actually – you should wear a suit more often."

Remus flushed red, not knowing how to respond to compliments, which only made Lily laugh harder, throwing her head back in genuine joy. Against the dark sky and glowing pumpkins, Remus could see that Lily really was beautiful, but he felt more brotherly affection towards her than anything. He and Lily had gotten on for over a year now, since he became prefect and they'd started talking. Unlike James, he seemed able to hold a conversation with her which didn't involve him hitting on her or insulting her, so they'd gotten along just fine. More than fine, really – they were mates.

"Come on, idiot" Lily looped her arm through his and pushed off the wall, dragging him along behind her, "we can both go be sociable"

"No no no no" Remus protested, trying to twist out of her grip, but Lily remained resolute, marching on a warpath until they were both back inside the Great Hall.

"Stop complaining," she yelled, dragging him back towards the dance floor, still crowded, "it's time you learnt to dance."

* * *

It was easy to forget Lily Evan's was beautiful, James thought pensively. He sat on the outskirts of the Great Hall, shadowed in an alcove where no one could follow his gaze back to its source. He should have been with his friends, or making trouble or just having fun, or else dancing with someone, or doing _anything_ else but standing there, alone on Halloween. But he couldn't help but watch her.

She looked lovely that night, even from far away. The candlelight from decorated pumpkins overhead played on her hair, embracing the red and setting it alight. The green dress she wore, dark as the forest outside, made her vibrant green eyes look even more bright in comparison. And when she smiled – dancing with her friends and throwing her head back to laugh – he almost died on the spot.

But watching her was more than that tonight. It had been a few weeks coming now, the realization. Information gained from stolen looks and observing her from afar. Lily was more than just beautiful; it was starting to become the last thing he noticed. James was starting to see her better now: the way she moved her hands as she spoke, as if they could catch the words evading her from the sky, flailing about wildly as she told a story. Everybody in her presence listened. The way she could go from being engrossed completely in a book, drifting from the world, to jumping up and down like a five year old on Christmas day. She was passionate about things no one else understood – potions in particular a subject bound to draw a groan from her friends. But she didn't care. She stilled grinned like a Cheshire cat; then expressively told them about a new theory on making shrinking solution more effective or how a new ingredient had been found in the Amazon rainforest that could cure any poison.

She was interesting; how she bit her lip to hold back a smile in class or practically skipped into the common room on Friday nights. Despite her golden reputation - she was not boring. She only knew when to hold her tongue, and better ways of solving fights than with her fists. She could be quiet when she wanted to be, as well. She didn't have to be the centre of attention or the one people talked about: she just tried to be happy. James never learnt the precise art of subtlety, but was content in admiring hers.

With all these things screaming at you like a hurricane, filling the room when you were with her, the fact that she was pretty seemed . . . plain, compared to the rest of her. There was so much more beneath her skin waiting to burst at the seams and glow. That's what James was realizing he loved. He just wished he'd have woken up and saw she was more than just pretty a few years earlier. Things might have been different between them now if he had. But no, he had been a git, and Lily too good for him, and now he was watching her shine on everyone else. The only thing that hadn't changed was that he was still completely in awe of her.

Underneath the candlelight, James sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. Yes, it was easy to forget Lily Evans was beautiful.

But it was harder to forget _her_.

* * *

The next day was cold. Passed by in a blur of lights and delights, the Halloween ball was officially over, leaving only hangovers and tired eyes galore around the tables at breakfast. Too much dancing and not enough sleeping lead to the grumpiest morning students found in Hogwarts in decades. It was safe to say everyone was chugging coffee like it was a vital life source on November the first.

Despite the less than cheerful mood in the morning, by the afternoon, when everyone had woken up or caught up with messed up sleep schedules – the students were again buzzing happily about the events of the ball – the fights, the break-ups, the hook-ups –an endless list of gossip rushed about the school like wind. Some, like Sirius, who was in fact the subject of several of these rumours, relished in it. Others, like James, hated it with a vengeance.

"I'm going for a walk" he grumbled in Remus' ear, hastily leaving the lunch table as another giggling gaggle of gossiping girls trotted past, grinning unsubtly at Sirius, who was eating up the attention. His friend nodded once to confirm he'd heard, and James was off without a second glance.

Out or Up. As far as he could see it, those were his choices. He could go outside; where he would undoubtedly spend twenty minutes wandering aimlessly and cursing the cold before giving in and returning to the pointless babble back at the hall, or he could go up; the astronomy tower or one of the higher floors, and find himself a place to sit for a while.

Up sounded better.

* * *

It was bright that afternoon, though chilly, so Lily was on her way from divination to work on a Herbology project when she ran into James, sitting on the ledge of the astronomy tower. She eyed her intended shortcut, behind a tapestry at the entrance to the tower, for only a second before she went over to him. Sunlight streamed through the gap in the stones, but did nothing to warm the air, so she conjured a small fire to hover beside them.

"Contemplating something meaningful?" she asked, stopping beside the sullen looking James.

"Just the Hogwarts rumour mill, and its power to turn sane, interesting people into mindless bores"

"Ah," Lily agreed sagely, leaning on the ledge next to him, not being quite as daring as to sit on it, "that little gem."

James grunted into a way which could be interpreted as many things, so she sighed.

"What's up?"

"Do you hate me?" James asked honestly, finally meeting her gaze, which faltered. His eyes were vulnerable, something which she would not usually associate with him.

"What? N-n-no" she stuttered, looking mildly alarmed, before realization dawned on her face, and she guessed "Remus told you about Arnie?"

"Might have mentioned it"

"And you want to know why I was never that easy on you?"

James shrugged, putting his hands back into his pockets and looking down again.

"I don't know" Lily answered.

"Helpful"

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so . . . harsh, at times"

"-_Maybe_?!"

"But you _did_ always act like an insensitive prick when you were asking" Lily said with a slight smile, firmly ignoring James' exclaimed interruption.

He twitched his eyebrows in agreement, "fair enough." They sat in silence for a few minutes, Lily fiddling with the purple scarf around her neck as the small flames continued to burn beside them, casting half of their features into stark relief. Winds roared about Hogwarts below them, scattering the last remaining reds of autumn everywhere and wiping the palette clean, ready for winter.

"Why didn't you ask me to the ball?" Lily eventually asked, and James damn near slipped off the ledge in surprise. Regaining some composure, he sat up straight and tried to act casual.

"Would you have said yes?"

"No," she mused, but then grinned, "But I might have agreed to a dance."

"How grateful of you" James said sarcastically.

"Suit yourself"

"Wait!" Although he knew she was only teasing, trying to buoy his foul mood, James couldn't help but call after her. He swung his legs over the side, landing back in the tower as his long black coat swung out behind him, "may I have this dance?"

He held out a pale hand to her, and Lily laughed before she realized he was serious.

"Here?" she asked, incredulous.

"Why not?"

"There's no music!"

James pondered that for a second, face twisting in thought, before a grin typical of only him broke out on it. Then, much to Lily's honour, he started singing.

_"__You think that people would have had enough of silly love songs" _James sang tunelessly.

"Really, Potter? Paul McCartney? Didn't think you were the type" Lily smirked, crossing her arms.

He ignored her, continuing with soul, mining dramatically as he sang, _"But I look around me and I see it isn't so."_

"You're just embarrassing yourself now" Lily turned, starting to walk away laughing.

_"__Some people wanna fill the world with silly love songs" _He sang loudly, running around her and catching Lily by the arm; twirling her round. She was really laughing now, unable to resist as he grabbed her arms in a dance-like fashion, spinning them in lazy circles with no set steps and hardly any rhythm. It didn't matter – they were both smiling, dancing together in the tower next to the floating flames, which burned brighter the longer they danced, fighting off the cold brewing outside.

_"__And what's wrong with that" _James sang; then twirled her under his arm, swaying them both to a beat he'd made up.

_"__I'd like to know" _Lily joined in, her voice high and sweet compared to his hoarse tones, as their dancing got slower, until it was only shuffling feet and breathless grins in each other's direction. James broke eye contact, humming the second verse for a while more after remembering the next line was 'I love you'.

He wouldn't say it; he wouldn't ruin the moment by being so careless.

But without the words, the song lost its pace, and their dance ended with another round of, _"some people wanna fill the world with sill love songs, and what's wrong with that? I'd like to know." _He sang the last line in a cheesy high note, swinging his partner around so violently they both almost went crashing to the floor. Going immediately to apologise, James was stopped short by an unexpected sound: laughter. Lily was laughing harder than he thought possible, cheeks red from the effort and eyes squinted shut, flying open as she grinned up at him before breaking into laughter again. He found he rather liked the sound.

"Well, the dancing wasn't too bad – although I'd take some singing lessons if I were you" Lily teased, pushing away from him to collect her discarded bag from the ledge.

"Hey, I'd like to see you do better!" he threw back.

"No way," Lily tilted her head, "I have a little thing called self-respect." She walked away, leaving James in awed silence, watching her go – again. She stopped at the doorway leading back into the castle, turning on her heel to flash him a carefree grin. "See you, Potter."

"Later, Evans."

* * *

So that was how Hogwarts first Halloween ball went – a colourful event, of which the most crucial moments, in the eventual run of things, happened out of sight; in quiet moments unnoticed but important in every sense of the word. They were a private matter, best kept for stories about the heroes of the first war, beautiful and untouched – known only to Lily, James, and the halls of Hogwarts. And perhaps it was better that way.

At the end of the day, James got his dance. And Lily, walking across the leaf strewn lawns with a smile, just for herself, looked at the oranges burning across the scene and thought that perhaps it wasn't so bad a season, after all.


End file.
